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Cheltenham policy committee advances multiple policy updates to first reading; administrators to clarify procedures on volunteers, recess and residency
Summary
The policy committee moved a package of policies and administrative regulations to first reading — including volunteer TB testing guidance, device rules, enrollment/residency procedures and nondiscrimination alignment — and directed administrators to refine AR language and circulation plans.
Cheltenham School District’s policy committee reviewed a broad set of policy updates on Wednesday and moved most items forward for a first reading or consideration at the next legislative meeting.
Administrators presented changes to a cluster of policies that they described as housekeeping or regulatory alignments. They said Policy 259 would expand coverage from homelessness to include students in foster care and other forms of educational instability. The committee also agreed to advance homebound instruction language (allowing virtual or in-person support), updates to bullying (Policy 247) and hazing (Policy 248) procedures, and minor revisions aligning gender-expansive student protections (Policy 258) with state nondiscrimination law.
On volunteers, administrators said the AR will clarify that TB testing is required only for volunteers with “direct contact” with students for more than 10 hours per week, which is a state requirement. “Volunteers who have direct service, who have direct contact with children for more than 10 hours per week are those that are the volunteers that need to have a TB test,” the administrator said. Board members asked administrators to clarify whether one-off overnight trips or single longer events should trigger the threshold; administration said it will refine the internal procedure before the next reading.
The committee reviewed the student personal electronic device policy (Policy 237) and debated how building administrators should balance baseline prohibitions with district-authorized activities such as lunch-and-learn. One board member warned of First Amendment challenges if the district’s rules were unevenly applied; administrators said the current language seeks to avoid legal exposure while giving building principals some discretion.
Statutory changes affecting residency and disenrollment were incorporated into Policy 202. Administrators explained the notice and hearing process for families the district believes are nonresidents, including certified mail and supplemental outreach. They said most residency matters are resolved before a formal hearing.
Administrators also recommended updates to policies on board officers (Policy 005) after recent court guidance, employee resignations (Policy 304) to clarify when a resignation is final, and enrollment procedures (Policy 200) to add change-of-address guidance.
All policies discussed were advanced as first reads or flagged for consideration at the February legislative meeting; none were formally adopted at Wednesday’s session. The committee asked administration to return with clarified AR text and additional guidance ahead of the second reading.
The committee adjourned after public comment and a superintendent update on next steps.
